Bernie to invest in Minardi!

After saying earlier today that he told Minardi to "p*ss off" in Austria last year, the news has emerged that the F1 ringmaster has personally invested in the team in order to save it. European Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said on Saturday afternoon in Canada that he could not go into detail, and that at the moment there was no paperwork.

"The deal has been done on a handshake," said Stoddart, "and with Bernie that's good enough for me."

Stoddart says that it safeguards the team's future, this year and next, and added: "One thing you might say about my new partner is that he has a pretty good track record as a sponsor getter, so maybe Minardi could finally have the kind of budget and support that it has previously dreamed about."

Ecclestone was last involved as a team owner in 1989, when he sold his interest in the Brabham marque that he bought in 1971. Stoddart, however, said that it was probably more accurate to describe Ecclestone's involvement as that of a passive investor.

The deal, he said, came together quickly and had not been mooted before the Canadian Grand Prix weekend began.